


The Comforts of Home

by RainyMeadows



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series, Layton Kyouju vs Gyakuten Saiban | Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Huddling For Warmth, Interquel, Late Night Conversations, Late at Night, Layton Kyouju vs Gyakuten Saiban | Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Spoilers, Luke and Maya are mentioned but don't appear, Phoenix Wright is very sad, Sharing a Bed, kinda hurt/comfort I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:36:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainyMeadows/pseuds/RainyMeadows
Summary: Unable to sleep after that hellish witch trial, Hershel Layton finds himself alone with the only person as out of place in Labyrinthia as he is.Aka what Phoenix and Layton did while Maya and Luke were out searching for Eve.
Relationships: Hershel Layton & Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright
Comments: 8
Kudos: 58





	The Comforts of Home

Hershel stopped halfway down the stairs so that he could yawn and stretch his back.

He’d _had_ to get up. Compared to his bed back at home, or even the sofa in his office, the bed he’d been given at this bakery was like trying to sleep on a slab of concrete only barely cushioned by loose scraps of cotton wool. He never thought he’d find himself missing bedsprings, and yet here he was, unable to sleep because he’d been so unbelievably uncomfortable.

He rolled his shoulder. Spending so long rolling about trying in vain to find a bearable position had left him sore and even more exhausted than before.

And now, on top of everything else, he was thirsty.

The bakery was silent, he realised as he made his way downstairs. More silent than should have been possible for a building like this. He kept listening for the sound of a vehicle rolling past, kept looking for the comforting yellow glow of a streetlamp, but there was _nothing._

He would even have accepted the roar of an insecure teenager’s motorbike at this point.

Hang on.

Why was light spilling out of the kitchen? Shouldn’t everybody else be asleep?

He’d heard Luke and Maya talking to one another earlier. Could Luke have perhaps waylaid his friend into baking him a midnight snack?

He straightened his hat as he entered the kitchen.

But instead of two youths enthusiastically filling their bellies with bread, he found the young man he’d worked alongside not two hours prior, sat at the table with his face in his hands, devoid of his blazer and tie.

“Mr Wright?”

Phoenix’s head whipped up, eyes wide, startled by the sudden sound.

“Oh,” he sighed in relief once he saw who it was. “It’s just you, Professor. Can’t sleep either?”

“I’m afraid not,” said Hershel as he sat down around the table’s corner from his new friend. “Not to sound ungrateful, but I simply can’t adjust to such an uncomfortable bed. I’m far too used to the support of bedsprings.”

Phoenix sighed and pinched his brow.

“Is it bad that I’m totally used to it?” he asked. “Like, I agree on the bed being solid as a rock, but I was totally fine with it! The only thing that stopped me getting to sleep is the fact that to be honest, I _really_ don’t want to!”

Hershel frowned.

“Why don’t you want to sleep?” he inquired. “Surely you must be as exhausted as I am, if not moreso. I fully expected you to at least be in the late stages of REM by now.”

Still pinching his brow, Phoenix hit Hershel with a sudden glare.

“Seriously?” he spat. “After what just happened? After we watched a terrified young woman get dropped into a pit of fire, knowing there was nothing we could’ve done to save her? After she threw Espella under the bus trying to save her own skin and the Inquisition goddamn _believed_ her?!”

His head fell forward again and he dug his fingers into his hair.

“Not to sound like some spoiled kid,” he said softly, “but I want to go home.”

Hershel held himself back from taking Phoenix’s hand. He barely knew this man. It wouldn’t be a good idea to make such a move so quickly.

He patted the man on the shoulder instead.

“There’s nothing spoiled about it,” he assured Phoenix. “If you wish me to be honest, I want to go home as well. This town is…”

He leaned back in his chair and looked out through the bakery’s open doorway, out into the empty, silent streets.

“…it’s odd, to say the least,” he said. “Even for a man of my experience, it’s definitely odd.”

Phoenix’s arms slumped onto the tabletop. His oddly coloured eyes stared emptily at the smoothened wood.

How old was he? Hershel couldn’t tell. Mid-twenties, at the very least. Twenty-five? Twenty-six?

Whatever the case, he clearly needed to know he had someone on his side.

“Do you know where Luke and Maya could be?” he asked to make conversation. “I heard them talking earlier, but I’m afraid I couldn’t tell what they were saying.”

“Eve ran off somewhere,” Phoenix said flatly. “They’ve gone to find her. Hope it’ll cheer up Miss Éclair, what with the whole Espella thing.”

Well, as long as they were together, there wasn’t much they had to worry about.

Hershel struggled not to try to clear his dry throat.

“Why don’t I get you a glass of water?” he offered.

“No glasses,” Phoenix said bluntly. “Medieval era, remember?”

Hershel’s heart sank.

“Of course,” he realised, and looked around the room to see what they had to work with. “How about a… pewter cup of water?”

“If you’re willing to head down to the fountain just for one drink,” said Phoenix, “then sure.”

After giving him another pat on the shoulder, Hershel got up and took two pewter cups from the crockery shelf.

A cold breeze washed over his body as he stepped out into the street. He walked as fast as he dared, hoping he didn’t attract any guards’ attention, and visualised the town map in his mind as he found his way to the nearest fountain.

A miracle the water didn’t freeze, he considered as he filled both of the cups. Yes, it was admittedly unseasonably warm for mid-December, but the air still sent shivers down his spine and sprouted goosebumps all over his skin.

The sound of clanking metal pricked his ears and he snatched the cups out of the water. He spun on his heels and hurried back to the bakery as quickly as he could.

Phoenix stared up at him in alarm again.

“It’s alright,” Hershel reassured him. “Only me.”

“Thank _god,_ ” Phoenix sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. “I swear, if one more metal-wearing blockhead comes storming through that door…”

He trailed off as Hershel approached and sat down beside him again, and offered him a cupful of water. Phoenix accepted it with eyes glazed over, holding it in place for several seconds before finally pressing it to his lips and taking a long, indulgent sip.

Hershel took a sip of his own. The water was cold and refreshing and chilled him all the way down to his stomach, and he only barely resisted a shiver as he relaxed his arms on the table.

“What I wouldn’t give for a hot cup of tea right now,” he muttered.

“Same here,” said Phoenix, “and I’m more of a coffee guy!”

“Well, who knows?” said Hershel. “Perhaps if we can wait around two or three hundred years, the town of Labyrinthia will discover tea just as the rest of medieval England did.”

Phoenix scoffed.

“Got a cryogenic freezer stuffed in that hat of yours?” he asked.

Hershel couldn’t help but laugh.

“Not quite,” he replied, “although to have one would certainly make faculty meetings easier to handle.”

Phoenix took a swig of his water.

“Faculty, huh?” he said. “What college you at?”

“Gressenheller University,” Hershel replied, and he gave the man a proud tip of his hat. “I work as a professor of archaeology and my classes are among the most popular on the campus.”

To his relief, that made Phoenix smile again.

“And what of you?” asked Hershel. “Surely a man of your obvious experience is employed at a firm, is he not?”

Phoenix tapped his fingers on his cup.

“I kind of run my own firm,” he explained. “Wright & Co. Law Offices. LA. Most days it’s just me and Maya, but her little cousin drops by from time to time.”

Hershel took advantage of the pause to sip from his water again. His eyes were still heavy, but the water soothed his dry, itching throat.

“How about you?” asked Phoenix. “You from London?”

The Professor nodded.

“To be precise, I currently reside in Chelsea,” he explained. “It isn’t as quiet as this, but it’s a peaceful part of town nonetheless.”

“Peaceful, huh?” Phoenix swigged from his water again. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Can’t say I expected an English Gentleman in a top hat to have the most exciting life on the face of the planet.”

Hershel chuckled softly.

“You’d be surprised, Mr Wright,” he said. “I fear that if I were to tell you of the things I’ve experienced, you’d have doubts as to my authenticity.”

“Oh, really?” A daring glint sparkled in Phoenix’s eye. “Try me.”

The Professor lowered his cup to the table.

“Well,” he began, “it was only a few short years ago that I encountered what I can only assume was some prehistoric water beast descended from dinosaurs, perhaps genetically connected to the Loch Ness Monster in some way, and I aided it in a battle against a madman on a gigantic excavator. Not long after that, I encountered the same madman after Luke and I were shanghaied into some mad game that would reward the winner with eternal life, and after that, we had to deal with some stage magician who was terrorising a town that had been constructed by an old friend of mine-”

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Phoenix raised a defensive hand. “Jeez, is all of that true?!”

“Please don’t interrupt me, Mr Wright,” said Hershel. “I’m only halfway through my list.”

Phoenix puffed out his cheeks and blew a long, exhausted breath.

“Do you really need to keep going?” he asked.

Hershel took another sip of water.

“I suppose not,” he decided. “My point’s been made, has it not?”

He watched the younger man finish off his drink with one last gigantic mouthful.

“And you?” Hershel queried. “Is the life of a lawyer as exciting as you appear to make it out to be?”

Phoenix slammed his empty cup on the table.

“You really want to know?” he asked. “You really want to know all the stuff I’ve had to put up with?”

Nervous, Hershel decided it might be a good idea to swallow his latest mouthful.

“I can’t say I’m sure,” he said, “but if you really wish to tell me…”

Phoenix raised his hands to count on his fingers.

“Within the past five or six years,” he said, “I’ve been framed for murder, had my girlfriend use me to hide evidence in another murder case and try to kill me to get it back, struggled to keep all three of my best friends from putting themselves on Death Row, had to take over my boss’ firm after she got murdered, got framed for _that_ murder, had a bunch of mobsters try to kill me, got zapped with a six hundred _thousand_ volt taser, been clocked around the head with a fire extinguisher and then a solid metal sword- and a pipe! I just remembered! I got whacked with a goddamn _pipe!_ ”

He buried his face in his hands again, fingertips pressed into his hair.

Hershel sipped his water in numb silence.

“And on top of all that,” Phoenix went on, “me and Maya both got spirited away to a place with no plumbing, no electricity, no modern medicine and we got brainwashed into thinking we were bakers! I didn’t even remember I was a lawyer until the middle of the trial tonight!”

He slumped back in his seat with another sigh and stared up at the ceiling.

With one last mouthful, Hershel finished his drink.

“Goodness,” he muttered. “The life of a lawyer is far more eventful than I’d thought.”

Still slumped back, Phoenix shot him a glare as if to say, “you think?”

Hershel got up and found a cloth he could use to wipe and dry their cups.

“I’m not sure how much it’ll help,” he told Phoenix as he wiped, “but from what I could tell from tonight, you appear to be exceptionally talented in regards to your profession. I would even go so far as to say that you’re a natural.”

Phoenix blew out a mirthless laugh.

“Even with you carrying me from the moment you stepped into the room?” he asked.

“Not at all!” Hershel hastily replied. “You performed excellently given the harrowing situation. Even with everything I’ve seen and done, I’ve never had the life of a friend hanging in the balance as you appear to have experienced multiple times.”

He looked Phoenix right in the eye.

“You’re an extraordinarily strong person, Mr Wright,” he said proudly.

At long last, for perhaps the first time that evening, Phoenix gave him an honest, unconditional smile.

“Thanks,” he said. “That means a lot coming from someone I don’t know all that well.”

Hershel felt his face fall.

“You didn’t have to phrase it quite like that,” he said as he put the cups back on their shelf.

“No, I mean it!” Phoenix insisted, twisting in his chair so that he wasn’t looking at the Professor upside down. “When you’ve known someone a long time, you kind of start expecting them to say nice things to you, so when it’s someone you’ve only just met…”

He tried and failed to stifle a yawn.

“Feels more honest, you know?” he finished.

Oh, so _that_ was it.

Hershel nodded his agreement.

“I understand,” he said, and he rolled his shoulder again. “I assume by your yawn that you’re ready to try sleeping again?”

Phoenix stood up and stretched his arms behind his head with a grunt of effort.

“Can’t say I’m looking forward to the dreams I might have,” he said, “but you’re right. I’m not going to do anyone any good if I exhaust myself staying up worrying all night.”

“Precisely,” Hershel agreed. “The more wakeful we can be for the days to come, the better.”

He pressed his hand over his mouth as he failed to hold back his own yawn. Even with as cold as the night was and the chill from the water he’d swallowed, he somehow felt more exhausted than he had before the drink.

No, that was a good thing. He _needed_ to be tired enough to sleep.

A shiver ran down his spine. When he clutched his arms, he could feel goosebumps poking through his sleeves.

“I know,” Phoenix said when he noticed. “Now that I remember what December is, I know enough to be annoyed that we’re here in the middle of it with _no heating._ ”

“A gentleman doesn’t complain about unavoidable circumstances,” said Hershel, “but what I wouldn’t do for an electric blanket on a night like this.”

“Oh man,” sighed Phoenix. “And a big, thick duvet to curl up under.”

“With flannelette bedsheets that are oh so soft…”

“…and a pillow that won’t go flat the second you put your head on it…”

The two men took a moment to stand in place and long for the comforts of home.

A thought occurred to Hershel and he decided it would be best to air it now rather than stew on it for the rest of the night.

“Mr Wright,” he said, “I do know one method that we could use to stay warm.”

“Oh yeah?” Phoenix said dryly. “What’s that? I know I was wrong about the cryogenic freezer, but don’t tell me you’re keeping a space heater on top of your head.”

Hershel couldn’t help but laugh again.

“How I wish that were the case,” he replied, “but I fear that what I suggest…”

He rubbed his chin in thought.

“Well,” he said, “you may find it a little embarrassing.”

It was only a few more moments before Phoenix stared at him in astonishment.

“You want to share a bed,” he stated.

“It isn’t an ideal situation, I know,” said Hershel, “but if you truly wish to stay warm-”

“You know what?” Phoenix interrupted. “Fine. Whatever. We might as well. Come on.”

He motioned with his head for Hershel to follow him upstairs.

Cheeks suddenly warm, Hershel allowed himself to be led to a cosy room tucked into the side of the building, its window allowing a near-black view of the alleyway that separated the bakery from its neighbouring house.

“Twin beds?” Hershel noticed. “Do you share this room with Ms Fey?”

“She isn’t happy about it either,” said Phoenix, “but through a system of covering our faces with our sheets, we’ve managed to make it work.”

He pulled back a duvet and made himself comfortable on one of the beds, and nodded at the remaining space for Hershel to do the same.

“My apologies for this,” said Hershel, and he sat down on the too-squashable mattress and swung his legs into place. “Were there any other way to stay warm, I assure you I would have suggested it.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Phoenix responded as Hershel hanged his precious hat on a bedknob. “God knows I’m used to being embarrassed by now.”

He nestled down into the pillow as Hershel settled and pulled the duvet up to his chin, and in what little light trickled through the window, he stared at the dark beam that held up the ceiling.

Humiliating as the situation was, he already felt significantly warmer. Phoenix’s body was like a living radiator, smoothing down the goosebumps that had sprouted on his arms, and Hershel found himself battling against an urge to huddle against his body. He had no doubt that to do so would only make the poor man even more uncomfortable with their strange situation.

As he lay there, clutching the sheets to his chin, he heard a hissing of breath from his side.

It took him a moment to process that it was the sound of laughter.

“Is something amusing, Mr Wright?” he asked.

“Not really,” said Phoenix, his voice softened by exhaustion. “I was just thinking about how even though it’s not what I wanted to do with my life – like, at all – thanks to that brainwashing, I’ve gotten pretty good at baking bread.”

Hershel smiled.

“It truly is strange how life changes us, isn’t it?” he asked. “Perhaps you could take it up as a hobby.”

Phoenix sniggered again.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “Maybe.”

Hershel slipped his hands under the duvet and rolled onto his side.

And within minutes, in spite of their mutual embarrassment, the two new friends plummeted into sleep.


End file.
